Pylon

RIBA competition with Ove Arup and Partners

July 2011

This proposal seeks to develop a light and transparent structure that is efficient in its use of materials and clear in its architectural expression. The solution aims for a concept that is elegant and yet can be reproduced thousands of times.

Although very efficient, traditional pylons tend to be visually complex and somewhat disjointed with a distinct mast, large booms and hanging insulators. This design attempts to overcome these shortfalls by providing a structure that responds directly to the requirements of the prevailing structural forces and the geometric requirements of contemporary braced insulators.

The resulting shape provides a wide-enough base for stability, a waist just below mid-height and an opening fan-like structure at the top, thus creating a lightness and visual transparency against the sky that current designs cannot achieve.